Mario Cerrito III (born March 1, 1984) is an American

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, producer and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

most closely associated with the horror genre. He is best known for his found footage series '' Human Hibachi''. The franchise has picked up a worldwide

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

and is released by

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production company, production and film distributor, distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz (producer), Michael Herz in 1974. They are the longest running independent film ...

. The movies have won best feature film awards at the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival. Cerrito is recognized as having an unfiltered approach to horror. Along with his family, he was featured on

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...

’s

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

show Ghost Nation.https://nj.gov/njfilm/assets/images/spotlights/2022-10/Horror-Movies-Filmed-in-New-Jersey-2022.pdf

Early life, education and baseball career

Mario was born in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

, on March 1, 1984. He was raised in

Audubon, New Jersey Audubon is a borough in Camden County, in the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,707, a decrease of 112 (−1.3%) from the 2010 census count of 8,819, which i ...

. He is

Italian American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

. He lived in

Woodstown, New Jersey Woodstown is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,678, an increase of 173 (+4.9%) from the 2010 United Sta ...

, and graduated from

Woodstown High School Woodstown High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Woodstown and Pilesgrove Township, in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary ...

in 2002.

Baseball career

Mario played Little League Baseball in Audubon, New Jersey and as a twelve year old was included in the

Courier-Post The ''Courier-Post'' is a morning daily newspaper that serves South Jersey in the Delaware Valley. It is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and serves most of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties. The paper has 30,313 daily paid subscri ...

top

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

Little Leaguers list. He went on to play at

where he started as an infielder all four years for the

Varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

. Cerrito made the all

Tri-County Conference (New Jersey) The Tri-County Conference (TCC) is an athletic conference consisting of both public and private high schools located in Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County and Salem County, New Jersey. The Tri-County Conference o ...

as an All-Star in 2002 and was an honorable mention as a freshman in 1999 and junior in 2001. He finished his career playing Division II baseball at

Rowan College at Burlington County Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) is a public community college in Burlington County, New Jersey. Main facilities are located in Mount Laurel, with other campuses in Mount Holly, McGuire AFB/Joint Base, and formerly Pemberton and Wi ...

from 2003 to 2004.

Career

''Deadly Gamble'' and ''The Listing''

In 2007, Cerrito wrote a film titled 'The Cornfield Massacre,' and in 2012, a trailer was filmed to raise funds for the full production, which ultimately did not materialize. In 2013, he wrote, produced, and directed his first feature film, '' Deadly Gamble'', which screened at Delsea Drive in Theatre in

Vineland, New Jersey Vineland is a City (New Jersey), city and the most populous municipality in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. Bridgeton, New Jersey, Bridgeton and Vineland are the two principal cities of the ...

. The film was made on a $10,000 budget and was signed to

Gregory Hatanaka Gregory Hatanaka is an American independent filmmaker and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California. Career Hatanaka is the founder of film distribution and production company Cinema Epoch and Cineridge Entertainment. He first became ...

's distribution company Cinema Epoch. In 2015, it and was released through EPIX,

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

, and

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

. In 2015, Cerrito directed ''

The Listing ''The Listing'' is a 2017 horror/thriller film directed by Mario Cerrito. The movie was released by SGL Entertainment, MVD Entertainment Group and Indie Rights in Canada, United Kingdom and United States. Plot Michael Mourer seemingly has everyth ...

'' with a $25,000 budget. It won best feature film at the 2019 HNN Film Festival. The film features horror actress

Jessica Cameron Jessica Cameron is a Canadian horror film actress, director, screenwriter, and producer. Early life Cameron was born in Owen Sound, Ontario where she graduated high school before moving to Toronto to study fashion at Ryerson University. She wor ...

. The movie was represented at

Marché du Film The ''Marché du Film'' (), also called Cannes Film Market, is an annual marketplace for films and one of the world's largest film markets. Established in 1959, it is held annually in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival. In the 2020s, mor ...

, the business counterpart to the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. The movie was acquired by distribution company SGL Entertainment. It was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the United States to

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

, DVD,

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

and

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...

wrote about the movie in 2017 and

Dread Central Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...

in 2019.

''Human Hibachi'' series

Cerrito wrote, produced and directed '' Human Hibachi'' in 2018. Shot solely on an

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

, the movie was initially deemed too extreme for a release to

and was released to its own website instead. At the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival in 2021 it was nominated for Best FX and Best Feature film, winning the latter. The film was also an official selection of

Philadelphia Independent Film Festival Philadelphia Independent Film Festival is an annual film festival which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The festival was created in 2007 by the Media Bureau, Inc. and has been programmed by the #undergroundfilmforum #uff s ...

and signed to

for release. The film was later acquired by distribution company Invincible Entertainment and released to various

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

platforms in 2022. In August 2022 the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

ranked in the top 100 best sellers on

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

. Invincible Entertainment brought the movie to

at the

2023 Cannes Film Festival The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, Justine Triet became ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The film later was released to FOUND TV in November 2024. In summer 2021, Cerrito made the sequel '' Human Hibachi 2: Feast in The Forest''. The movie was filmed in

Mount Holly, New Jersey Mount Holly is a Township (New Jersey), township that is the county seat of Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020. As ...

and premiered in July 2022 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. It went on to win best feature film at New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

picked the movie up for worldwide release. The film was later released to FOUND TV in November 2024. In 2023, Cerrito produced and directed the short film and third installment, '' Human Hibachi: The Beginning.'' The movie won best New Jersey/New York horror film at New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival.

acquired it for release to Troma Now in October of the same year. ROCHON10

'' Human Hibachi 3: The Last Supper'' the fourth installment was announced in August 2024 and is set to be produced in the winter of 2025. The film stars

scream queen A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...

Debbie Rochon Debbie Ann Rochon (born November 3) is a Canadian actress and former stage performer, best known for her work in independent film and counterculture films. Early life When Rochon was ten years old, her parents were deemed unfit to raise her, ...

and

Lloyd Kaufman Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their featu ...

. Production started in December 2024 at

studios in New York City and continued throughout February 2025 in

. The film series has picked up an international

with physical media being found as far as Japan and Australia. It has been referred to by some as a modern day cult classic. In 2025 English-based horror merchandiser ''UnusualHorror.com'' signed the franchise to a merchandise deal.

Other work

Cerrito wrote and produced ''The House in the Pines'' featuring Mick Strawn as Director and Joe Nicolo from

Butcher Bros. The Butcher Bros. is an American music production team made up of brothers Phil and Joe Nicolo, originally based out of Philadelphia in the mid-to-late '80s. Together and individually, the brothers have produced albums for a wide variety of band ...

as composer. Cerrito provided the main film location for the horror film ''A Place in Hell''. The film won best home grown horror feature film at the 2016

Garden State Film Festival The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Asbury Park and Cranford, New Jersey, Cranford, New Jersey, which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring. ...

. The movie was released by

Anchor Bay Entertainment The revived Anchor Bay Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company owned by Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Anchor Bay Entertainment markets and releases "new release genre ...

to multiple Video On Demand platforms. He has also produced ''Variety'' (2015), ''Arisen I SAW'' (2016), ''The Philly Offensive'' (2016), ''Chase Street'' (2016), and ''Right Before Your Eyes'' (2017), among others. In 2023, Cerrito started a haunted attraction business, Fear Village, at

Voorhees Town Center Voorhees Town Center (formerly Echelon Mall) is a regional shopping mall and a residential area located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. It was built in 1970 and named after Echelon Airfield which was located where the mall stands today. The E ...

Voorhees Township, New Jersey Voorhees Township is a township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a suburb in the Delaware Valley / Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3 ...

. In April 2024, a fire in the mall stalled the plans to open. Cerrito made a short film called ''Wall Of Souls'' in 2024. Cerrito was listed in a top ten independent horror filmmaker list from Horrornews.net in 2024.

TV appearances

Cerrito and his family were featured on the

's reality show '' Ghost Nation''. Paranormal investigator

Jason Hawes Jason Conrad Hawes (born December 27, 1971) is an American plumber and the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which is based in Warwick, Rhode Island. He is also one of the stars and co-producers of Syfy's '' Ghost Hunters'', w ...

and his crew visited Cerrito's house and the program aired in October 2019. The episode was titled, "The Novelist's Nightmare." He also had a minor role in the series ''Chase Street'', which was featured on

Awards and nominations

Books and other writing

In 2013, Cerrito wrote ''Chasin' Brandy: An Extraordinary Tale of Puppy Love''. In 2013 he co-wrote a screenplay, ''Union City Streets'', with

Renoly Santiago Renoly Santiago (born March 15, 1974) is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican actor, singer and writer known for his appearances in films such as ''Dangerous Minds'', ''Hackers (film), Hackers'' and ''Con Air'', and in television series such as ''Touched ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Personal life

In 2014, Cerrito spoke to communication students at

, his alma mater, about filmmaking. In 2016, Cerrito visited a sick seven-year-old boy with

mitochondrial disease Mitochondrial disease is a group of disorders caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are the organelles that generate energy for the cell and are found in every cell of the human body except red blood cells. They convert the energy o ...

Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware is a pediatric hospital located in Wilmington, Delaware. It is operated by the Nemours Foundation, a non-profit organization created through the last will and testament of philanthropist Alfred I. du Pont by h ...

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

. Cerrito gave the boy a signed poster of his movie. In 2017, Cerrito teamed up with the school resource officer of Riverside High School to film a

PSA PSA, PsA, Psa, or psa may refer to: Biology and medicine * Posterior spinal artery * Primary systemic amyloidosis, a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins * Prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme used as a blood tracer for pro ...

video, #DrinkDriveDie, for their students. The video showed the dangers of drinking and driving in dramatic fashion to help kids make better decisions. The film debuted at the school's prom assembly. In 2019, Cerrito was present when professional volleyball player Eric Zaun's committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

Borgata Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a hotel, casino, and spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. The casino hotel features 2,798 rooms and is the largest hotel in New Jersey. Borg ...

. He and his wife Charmaine reside in

Mantua Township, New Jersey Mantua Township (pronounced man-CHEW-uh) is a township within Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,235, its highe ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerrito, Mario Living people American horror film directors Film directors from New Jersey People from Audubon, New Jersey People from Mantua Township, New Jersey People from Woodstown, New Jersey Woodstown High School alumni 1984 births Actors from Camden County, New Jersey Actors from Gloucester County, New Jersey Actors from Salem County, New Jersey Writers from Camden County, New Jersey Writers from Gloucester County, New Jersey Writers from Salem County, New Jersey